Florida Georgia Line Talks ‘Cruise’ Success And The ‘Wide Spectrum’ Of Songs On Their Debut Album

Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of country duo Florida Georgia Line have a lot to celebrate this week.

For starters, today marks the release of their debut album, Here’s To The Good Times, on Republic Nashville. On top of that, their single “Cruise” has sailed its way to the top of the radio charts, earning the duo their first-ever Number One record.

As Tyler explains in a recent interview provided by the label exclusively to CBS Local, “we knew we had something special” with “Cruise,” though “I don’t know if we knew the magnitude of what we had.”

“Every single night we get to see sold-out clubs singing every word to us. As songwriters, it’s a dream come true.”

As for making the music video for “Cruise,” they agree that it wasn’t as nerve-wracking an experience as it might have been. “We had a great time that day,” says Tyler about the video shoot. “Other than the temperature, it was about 105 degrees. We had a lot of friends and family” on the set, as well as quite a few fans. “The cameras didn’t really bother us.”

“Cruise” of course appears on the band’s debut album, Here’s To The Good Times. Which, as mentioned, was released today (Dec. 4).

The album title, says Brian, “represents our vision for Florida Georgia Line.” That vision, he explains, is to represent something of a respite or an escape from the issues of daily life. “We want our show and our music to be a place where people can go, forget about their worries, forget about what’s outside those walls” of the club, or wherever they might be listening.

The songs on the record, Brian continues, “really represent who we are and what we want to say.”

And as Tyler also notes, despite the album’s title, they’re not just all party tunes. The songs, he says, represent a “wide spectrum of who we are.” Some are what he calls “life songs” that “may take you back to high school,” while others while others are about “having a good time and tipping it back.”

“We like having a good time, but that consists of a lot more than just partying,” he says. “We’re not just two dudes who like to throw a party every night.”

Florida Georgia Line’s new album Here’s To The Good Times is available now.